WC Wisconsin News

Congressman Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin's 3rd District participated in a House Judiciary Committee field hearing in Milwaukee, addressing the impact of the southwest border crisis on Wisconsin communities. During the session, Van Orden highlighted concerns about illegal aliens held at the Federal Correctional Institution Oxford. The facility reportedly houses 650 illegal aliens convicted of felonies, representing over half of its capacity. Van Orden noted that housing these inmates costs $42,000 each per year, totaling more than $27 million annually.

Van Orden raised these issues during a dialogue with Republican Senator Ron Johnson. He expressed concern over an individual with Venezuelan gang tattoos who entered the U.S., committed crimes, and was not apprehended due to sanctuary city policies. "This could have been stopped at any point," Van Orden stated, criticizing the Biden Administration's immigration policies.

Senator Johnson acknowledged being unaware of specific tracking regarding federal prison populations but was not surprised by the situation. He emphasized the financial burden on local and federal governments due to open border policies and advocated for a controlled legal immigration system to benefit the economy while securing borders.

Van Orden also pointed out discrepancies concerning Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy and criticized handling missing children cases under the current administration. He claimed approximately 250,000 children are unaccounted for, potentially victims of trafficking facilitated by transnational criminal organizations.